IMC experts differ on President Buhari’s New Year letter to Nigerians
Media and integrated marketing communications specialists in the country have expressed divergent views over the New Year message written as a letter to Nigerians by President Muhammadu Buhari and published in major national newspapers, insisting that the idea is good but the mode inadequate.
Specifically, professional communication specialists who were united in their views that the initiative was a good start, nonetheless, opined that the President as a matter of fact must begin to engage more regularly with the nation’s citizens through direct and pro-active conversation and national broadcasts.
It will be recalled that President Buhari had in a radical departure from the past caused an open letter he wrote to Nigerians to be published in selected national newspapers as a way of felicitating and rejoicing with the citizens while also tactically engaging with them through the media.
The letter published January 1st, the New Year day with the theme: “A Letter From The President At New Year; Nigeria’s Decade”, addressed and exhorted the citizens about hope, optimism and opportunities in the New Year of a new decade. It reads:
“My Dear Compatriots,
Today marks a new decade. It is a time of hope, optimism and fresh possibilities. We look forward as a nation to the 2020s as the opportunity to build on the foundations we have laid together on security, diversification of our economy and taking on the curse of corruption. These are the pledges on which I have been twice elected President and remain the frame work for a stable, sustainable and more prosperous future.”
The President also in the letter commended all political players and gladiators and those who competed with him during the Presidential elections held February last year as well as millions of the citizens who voted peacefully during the election and assured of his readiness to strengthen democratic processes against future elections. Confirming his preparedness to stand down in 2023 after completing his second term tenure in office, he admitted the short-comings in the present electoral process and stated his commitment to amend and rejuvenate the electoral process for better performance. He also stated his commitment to security of life and property, economic development and rapid infrastructural growth and developments amongst other sundry issues of national importance and relevance.
Reacting to President Buhari’s letter, Managing Director of Noah’s Ark, Lanre Adisa said although the thinking behind the letter idea was good, he believes the President of the country should do much more to engage the citizens. While stating his personal apathy to New Year sentiments and all the noises that accompany resolutions and all that, Mr. Adisa said the New Year conversation was key for the Federal Government as it offered a veritable opportunity to engage with the people. The agency boss enjoined President Buhari to engage more with the citizens as he is the one administering the country.
His words: “He should engage with the people the more and directly, too. Since he is the one ruling the country, he should talk more regularly with the people who are going through a lot of challenges at this moment,” Mr. Adisa opined.
Commenting on the initiative, Managing Director of TBWA and past President of Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Kelechi Nwosu, said: “It is a good idea. Though I have not read or seen the letter, I believe it is a good idea that the President should communicate with the people.”
He advised that the communication and engagement with the people by the President should come regularly more often, and not a one-off development. According to Mr. Nwosu, “the President needs wholesale efforts in his engagement strategy. He needs more of such efforts to communicate with the people”.
Speaking in a similar vein, the current President of AAAN, Ikechi Odigbo, said the letter writing idea was a welcome development for President Buhari whom he believes ought to be reaching out to the people regularly. Though he believes the letter seems to be more of a personal thing, he stated that the nation’s leaders have many ways to feel the pulse of the people without restricting it to letter writing.
For Lekan Otunfodunrin, a media career developer, mentor and a frontline journalist, President Buhari’s letter to Nigerians is commendable. He, however, expressed fears about whether the objective of reaching out to Nigerians would have been achieved by the efforts.
His words: “First and foremost, I see the idea as a way of communicating with the people the more unlike in the past. But my great fear is whether the idea would achieve the objectives it was set out to achieve.”
Specifically, Mr. Otunfodunrin explained that the letter idea was too elitist. “I am not sure how many Nigerians buy or read newspapers,” he said.
“Rather than sending out letters to be published in the newspapers which are published as adverts, President Buhari should communicate with Nigerians more directly through media interviews, print and electronics and through one-to-one engagements in town halls and public fora,” he counseled.
He continued: “The President should talk more to the people as the state governors are doing. It should not be in the form of letters published as adverts as the letters are not published on the websites of these newspapers. So, very few people see the letter,” Mr. Otunfodunrin insisted but agreed that the idea was nonetheless good and welcomed.
In his own remarks, Managing Director of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, advised: “The President needs to be involved in more communication with Nigerians. He needs to engage more with the people irrespective of the mode or format. He should have more conversations with the citizenry. Let him tell us what to expect from government and governance in 2020 and beyond. That on its own will make the people to be more confident about their administration and policies.”
For Ehi Braimah, Managing Director, Neo Media, the President’s initiative is commendable and salutary and that has added another plus to his administration by the step taken.
His words: “Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with the letter idea. President Donald Trump of USA is used to Tweeting to Americans and the world, yet he still passes his messages across effectively. So, there is nothing wrong if President Buhari decides to write letters.”
He, however, counseled the President’s media team to amplify the message in the letter on other media platforms.
This view contrasts sharply with that of John Ehiguese, Managing Director, Mediacraft Associates, who frankly objected to the President’s mode of communication.
“I have a problem with the President’s mode of conversation. The man should talk directly to Nigerians; letter writing is too personal. He should talk to us more directly. I don’t have a problem with the contents of the letter but with the mode,” Mr. Ehiguese pointed out.
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